Races

Contents

Races of Aloria

Humans

Despite the fact that the rapid expansion of the Human race has only started since the collapse of the Elven Empire, they have quickly become the most populous race on Aloria. With rapid colonization and expansion in all directions, Humans can now be found in all four corners of the world, trading, crafting, building but also waging war. The rapid expansion of the race has come with it’s downsides as well, humans are capable of great acts of cruelty, severe xenophobia towards other races, greed, infighting and great corruption. Of all the races of Aloria, humans are the most prone to greed and envy, causing whole kingdoms to descend into chaos over something as insignificant as a title or consort. Despite all of this, Humans are also the most capable race to reach great things through cooperation and an great entrepreneurial attitude.

Humans, like Elves and Dwarves, descended from the great Seraph civilization. The Seraph that fled to Ceardia and hid in the vast empty expanses of this continent eventually formed the human culture and adapted to the rural lifestyle. From the earliest point in Human history, Humans formed petty kingdoms and warred each other and themselves constantly. Any unification attempt trough peace or diplomacy always failed and devolved into large scale wars, though many of the citizens in the kingdoms seemed content with this situation. Because of this, the human petty kingdoms were no match for the Elven Empire that invaded Ceardia many times for riches and slaves looting coastal kingdoms and taking those they spared. Human kingdoms did not have the splendor and grandeur of the Elven cities, being small and made of wood, straw and stone, and lacked the defenders required to stand against the might of the Elven Empire.

With the collapse of the Elven Empire however, the Humans finally found themselves in the position where their growth was not being held back by the Elves. Many petty Human kingdoms were struck hard by the void invasion, their locations on the forefront of the war against the Void demons. This paved the way for one particular island to rise to power. The political power on this island was called Regalia. Situated on aniIsland with a large fleet, the Regalian Empire adopted the coastal raiding techniques of the Elves, quickly and easily subjegating large areas of petty Human kingdoms that had nothing to defend themselves with. Instead of just looting the places however, the Regalian Empire settled in the new colonized areas, assimilating them to it’s culture and politics. Leaders were bribed with gold and positions in the Regalian Senate, and in many places the Regalian fleet was welcomed as a window to prosperity, often bringing education, commerce and culture.

Human culture is very much defined by Regalia in present times as the great metropolis capital of the Human race. Religion in Regalia used to be that of the old Human gods. These gods were pagan and wild gods from ages before the Elven Empire. With the formation of the Regalian Empire however, a new religion called “Union” made a quick rise to prominence. Union as a religion is focused around worshipping the Emperors of Regalia, who ascent to godlike status upon their death. The religion is a strict one, denying the old gods as heresy, and demanding worship from all Humans, calling for a Human civilization under one religion. Humans out of all the races, are the most prone to be patrons of the Art. Many races would find it impractical to spend as much wealth on art and decorations as Humans do. Many nobles in Regalia attempt to out do one another with more splendor and excessive displays of wealth, even as the poorest in the slums die of hunger. Out of all the races, Humans have the largest gap between rich and poor, with little to no interest from the richer nobles to help relieve the problems of the poor. Despite the fact that Human society is cruel, it is still the most effective in terms of order and productivity. Lacking the craftsmanship of the Elves and Dwarves, the humans outdo them in sheer production, allowing them to field larger armies and maintain larger populations.

The rapid conquest of Regalia had a dark side however, as while the Empire grew larger, so did the corruption and political scheming in the capital. Politics in Regalia were run by the Senate of Regalia, headed by the Chancellor, a seat dominantly held by the Kade family. The Senate itself divided into different factions – assassination attempts driven by scheming and ambitious leaders against other political leaders became a common practice. Despite the political infighting, the majority of Regalia’s politicians still held the good of Empire as priority, and colonists were sent out to many different continents. Daendroc was colonized, along with Ellador and Ithania. The Whole of Ceardia eventually fell under the power of Regalia, and minor outposts were established on Kelmoria, Jorrhildr, Farah’deen and even the wild continent known as Lerina Basa.

Roughly 200 years after the last void invasion, The Naga kingdoms in Hadar lived in a time of unprecedented military power. One empress of the Naga, Mikuni, managed to unite all the Naga petty fiefs under her banner of serpent worshippers. Their newest weapon, the magic of the sea serpents they worshipped, made them especially dangerous, and a threat that could not be ignored. Immediately, the Regalian Senate was distressed over potentially being surpassed in military might by the new Naga Empire, for they had gained a global dominant position that they were not willing to give up so easily. Without first formal contact or negotiations, Regalia declared war on the Naga Empire.

Come to be known as the Chyrsant Wars, the confrontations between the Naga and Regalia was extremely violent, humans exterminating whole cities and kingdoms in Hadar as the Imperial fleet wrecked its way to the core of the Naga Empire. The great battle of Feng Huang saw the Imperial fleet, headed by Emperor Justinian I and supported by Ortan and Moriarty Kade, as well as Henry van Sherburne and Harald Redblock, pitted against the fleet of dragon ships headed by Empress Mikuni of the Naga Empire. The battle saw nearly 300 ships sunken and near the end of the battle, the Empress summoned a Sea Serpent from the deep in an attempt to salvage the battle in her favor. The Serpent managed to rip through many ships and kill Ortan Kade, before it was eventually slain by a great broadside of the flagship.

At the end of the battle, only one in four Regalian ships remained, but the Naga resistance had been completely broken. The fleet sailed it’s way around Hadar destroying many more defenseless cities, reducing the Naga population to less than 5% of it’s original size. Upon returning to Regalia, the fleet bore many riches and spoils of war, and after re-organizing their military fleet, Regalia became the undisputed number one military power of Aloria. The Chrysant Wars were short and brutal, but defined Regalia’s policy towards non Human military powers. Any non Human power that arises in the future will have the Regalian fleet on their doorstep.

In recent times, Regalia has allied some of the Elven Unqualë tribes fighting Orcs in exchange for Elven arts and their resources. Regalian troops are being levied over to Daendroc to prepare a campaign against the Orcs that still linger the continent. After the collapse of Ceardia and the abandoning of the continent, many refugees fled to Regalia. The influx of refugees has only made the xenophobia many humans feel even worse. Recently, the Senate has started stripping rights from non humans and condemning many to live in squalor in the slums. Despite it’s lack of interest to defend non Humans, Regalia stands as the last true bastion against the Void legions, being the only military competent state to match itself to the Archdemon’s hordes. Until this day the Archdemon is aware of this, and focuses its attempts on sabotaging Regalia with whatever means he can find, whether by destabilizing the political spectrum with the assassination of the Kades, sending more vampires to the city spread terror, or full out attacks by the Dark Banshee.

Elves

Generally tall, fair and with pointed ears, Elves are unmistakable in their noble bearing and complex history. The ancient race of Elves has through the ages been known as a stable and thriving race. The great Elven Empire stood stable for thousands of years, spanning many of Aloria’s continents far and wide. Since the stemming of the Void Invasion by the Elven Empire however, the Elves have faced civil strife, Orc invasions, and widespread instability among the many factions of Elves. More than ever are Elves are not only warring the Orcs, but also one another. From the Isldar in the far north, to the Talar in the south, the Elves are a proud and strong race. Despite the many recent hardships, many Elves stay true to their ideals and their search to restore the splendor and grandeur that was taken from them by the Orc invasion and the collapse of their social system.

The Elves originally descended from the great Seraph civilization, remnants of the last Void invasion fleeing to Daendroc. Over the many thousands of years, the Elves developed a distinct culture, dominated by druidic rituals and worship of nature. The Elven culture developed many different deities over time, but the most important by far was the goddess of nature Estel, often referred to as “Faith” in Human languages. Early Elven civilization revolved around worshipping Estel, and the powers of nature. Estel was seen as the guide of the aura’s of the dead to Transcendence. As many hundreds of years went by however, Elven society changed. The Elves became more populous, thriving to greater heights than any of the other races. A great Elven Empire was formed when Emperor Gwângalad unified the different Elven Kingdoms. For nearly 3000 years, the Elven Empire stood stable, ruled by the descendants of Gwângalad. The Empire expanded onto other continents, establishing great cities of white marble and quartz. The most wondrous of all was the capital of the Empire, Ríë. The Imperial palace was the largest made structure ever built, the main Ivory tower higher than any mountain ever seen.

With all the increasing splendor, Elven society became more decadent. As the Elven population moved away from groves and nature and into large monumental cities, their habits changed. Many of them forgot the old ways, destroyed nature itself to feed the population or expand cities, and engaged in dangerous acts of magic. The Elven Empire also waged numerous wars against Human and Sadëir kingdoms across Farah’deen and Ceardia. With every defeated kingdom, the Elves took thousands of slaves to serve them at home. The Tigran race, especially, suffered from the expansion of the Elves. At the peak of the Elven Empire, nearly 95 percent of the total Tigran population was enslaved in Daendroc at the height of the Elven Empire.

Something dark and evil was stirring on the other side of the veil however. The Arch demon Behesael was gathering his forces for another invasion of Aloria as he had done before during the high days of the Seraph Civilization. As the veil tore open, millions of demons from the void poured out and washed over the lands, catching many of the human kingdoms by surprise and quickly overrunning them. The Elven Empire was slow to react, losing most of its northern dominions to the advancing demonic hordes. Wave after wave of demon pushed against the Elven Empire, but after several years, Emporer Medui was finally able to bring the invading army to a standstill at the Battle of Egtel.

Emperor Medui bought a brave group of adventurers and mages, with just enough time to break trough to the Forsaken Continent where the invasion had started, and tear down the veil to destroy the gateway from which the demons could enter Aloria. Despite their victory however, emperor Medui was slain on the battlefield leaving behind a power vacuum between his three sons and one daughter. Estel had a vision of what was to come, and tried to act but was quickly barred from intervening by a new dark force that had arisen from the Elven Empire. The so called Shadow Elves, corrupted and tainted by the Void demons had begun their works to unravel the Elven Empire and destroy the defenses of Aloria. It was their dark mages that bound and imprisoned Estel in a location unknown to any but their darkest Shadow Council.

The Yanar first appeared shortly after the defeat of the void demons. They attempted to warn the Elves, but they had lost the old ways, and did not heed the warnings of the Yanar. The power vacuum left behind by the death of Emperor Medui caused friction between the many factions within the Elven Empire, causing several to break off into their own clans. The Isldar of Ellador, fair blue-white skinned Elves of northern Ellador were the first to secede from the Elven Empire. They simply completely and utterly disappeared without a trace, and have not been seen since those days. The second to leave were the Drowdar Elves. They were cast out by the Eldar as scaremongers who wished to control the population with fear of the demons – though in truth, all they wished was to continue the fight on the forsaken continent. The Drowdar left in masses, sailing to the forsaken continent where until today, they still fight a losing battle against the demons that still wander the continent. Over time the Drowdar’s fair skin turned black and dark blue, and their hair pure white. Many often believe they are corrupted by the demons, but they simply changed over a long period of time, the Veil affecting their close presence. To this day they keep their vigil, as an incorruptible force against the Demons.

The remaining factions within the Empire, the military Vicari, the druidic Lothar and the populous Talar started a civil war amongst themselves, each favoring a different son of the late Emperor. Cedril led the druidic factions in the North, Cedral led the military factions in the center, and Cedron led the populous factions in the South. Cedril and Cedral brokered an alliance to defeat Cedron in exchange for independence for the druids. Cedral betrayed Cedril however and strangled him during a negotiation. And working behind the scenes, the Shadow Elves had placed plan in motion, killing Elven oracles and grove tenders all over Daendroc. Their final targets were the Nenya, colossal magical trees which were the emissaries of Estel. With axe and fire they assailed the colossal trees and with dagger and sword they entered the Elven Temples. A night of terror that would forever be known to the Elves as the Night of the Fallen Star, many claimed they could hear the forest itself cry out, wailing in the wind for the death that was caused.

Meanwhile Cedral marched on his other brother, Cedron which had fortified himself in a coastal citadel. Too distracted to see what was really going on, or perhaps a partner to the Shadow Council’s plans, Cedral drew all forces away from the cities and centers of magic. As the soldiers left, the Shadow Elves started corrupting the population and turning them into mindless servants of the demons. They would have succeeded in their plan, if it wasn’t for the surprise Cedral ran into when he first laid eyes on his brother’s citadel. Instead of seeing Elven banners, he saw Orc warships, sounding the drums of war as the citadel was wrecked casting large pillars of smoke far into the sky. Cedral charged the Orcs with his entire army, but was soundly defeated and slain on the battlefield.

What followed, was nothing short of an all-out invasion of the Elven Empire by the Orc Hordes. With great speed and cruelty they spread trough the Empire, destroying what little groves were left, pillaging cities and mass murdering Elves. Nearly 90 percent of the Elven population, millions upon millions, died at the hands of the Savage orcs. The Shadow Council’s plans were completely foiled as they themselves were also slain by the Orcs, along with many of their accomplices. In one final life-shattering event, the Orcs decimated Ríë with an enormous bomb, reducing it to a pile of rubble and sending it into the sea. The advancement of the Orc Hordes only ended when the Orcs began fighting amongst themselves, arguing over the division of their spoils of war.

Many Elves fled to the Northern jungles of Daendroc, setting up new groves and forming the Lothar tribes. These tribes believed they could only reclaim their old grandeur by returning to the old ways of nature worship. They support the status quo between the Elves and the Orcs, not favoring attacking or defending against them. Many of the Vicari took up arms in the middle plains of Daendroc, forming tribes of soldiers which had survived the massacres. They renamed themselves to Unqualë, wishing only to bring death on the Orcs as an act of revenge. These Elves now favor hunting, guerrilla warfare and a tribal way of living, constantly hunting for Orcs. Many more Elves lingered in their destroyed cities, decaying husks of their former glory. These Elves have trouble accepting their fate. The Talar as they are now called, often exist in a sad state of denial, still acting the same way they did before the Empire collapsed, unable to accept reality. Some others fled underground, becoming even more savage and brutish than the Orcs that caused them to go there to begin with. The Grodar are considered dangerous to all, even to the many Elven groups. The Grodar have simply gone insane underground and survive through scavenging or ambushing surface dwellers. Few Shadow Elves remained after the Orc invasion, but they still continue their plans for corruption on the many islands of Daendroc, hiding in the dense jungles to find new ways to corrupt the land and the people living on it.

Recently the Elves found Human settlements on the eastern shores of Daendroc. The Unqualë valued their presence, using the Human settlement for trade to aquire human forged steel and war machines, which they find extremely useful in their continued fight against the Orc hordes. Recently the citizens of Daenshore and smaller towns have allied themselves with the Unqualë, forming a strong alliance to fight back the Orcs. The Lothar however fear the presence of the humans, as they destroy the forests around their towns to fuel their growth. The Talar in turn believe the Humans are settling vermin and avoid contact with them at all times. However, despite the many different mindsets and differences of the different factions of Elves, they all remain proud and assured of themselves and their race.

Subraces of the Elves

Eldar: Common Elf, devided among the Talar, Lothar and Unqualë. Fair and pale skinned beings, Eldar are generally tall and have bright blonde, blonde, or brown hair. The most common Elves on Aloria, the Eldar Elves are represented by extremely different mindsets that all revolve around the reforming of the grandeur of the Elven race, in some form of another. While the Lothar and Unqualë are more commonly seen in forest and plains tribes, the Talar almost mimic human nobility in their continued quest for grandeur and opulence. The Eldar are the most easily accepted of all the sub-races of Elves, due to their relatively normal appearances.

Isldar: Ice Elf, known to be fair in appearance and with white-blue skin, white hair, and generally tall bearings. Having broken off from the Elven Empire more than three hundred years ago, the Isldar vanished off the face of Aloria, and only recently have a very rare few shown back up in the world view. Inquires of the rest of the Isldar, however, have discovered nothing, and the fate of this sub-race as a whole remains shrouded in mystery. From the few seen through Aloria, the Isldar are thought to be rangers and survivalists, living simply and plainly. These few have also shown high physical and weapons prowess, supporting the idea that the Isldar are used to rough living.

Shendar: Shadow Elf, otherwise called Island or Blood Elves. Grey skinned tall beings with white hair, the Shendar are fairly rare. Ever since the Shendar turned to demons in an effort to gain an advantage over the other elven factions, the entire sub-race has become warped, both physically and mentally. A Shendar elf is almost always possessed by a demon, and are considered highly dangerous because of such. Living in wild and primitive tribes that are carefully sheltered in dense jungles, they habitually practice demonic possession. Shadow Elves are unwelcomed in major cities, and shunned by other Elves for their dangerous walk with demons.

Grondar: Cave Elf, distinctly different from other sub-races with their yellow skin and lack of hair. Driven insane by underground living, the Grondar are considered feral and near nonsentient, too dull and unintelligible to even think of communicating with. Finding one that can speak is extremely rare, as is surviving an encounter with a Grondar. They live deep underground or within caves and survive by scavenging for food, or by ambushing and killing the unwary traveler who ventures too deep beneath the surface.

Drowdar: Drow Elf, perhaps the rarest of all sub-races, due to their willing containment on the Forsaken Continent. With black or dark-blue skin and white hair, Drowdars are highly militaristic, avoiding magic and its use at all costs. Fierce and passionate in their fight against demons, any sign of weakness in a Drowdar results in abandonment of the individual. Having barred themselves on the Forsaken Continent to continue their unending battle, very few Drowdars are ever seen in the rest of Aloria, and fewer still have any desire to give up their fight against the demons. Due to their prolonged exposure to demons and the torn Veil, Drowdars are considered extremely dangerous and unpredictable by most others.

Dwarves

The Dwarves of Aloria are a proud and sturdy race. They are renowned for their extensive martial training and their near flawless craftsmanship. The majority of dwarves are good hearted, but are known to be very greedy and possessive of their treasures, to the point of extreme paranoia. They hold close to the traditions of their people, most believing strongly in justice and camaraderie. Existing underground for centuries untold, they recently began moving to the surface to escape the Dakkar, who they have warred with heavily. Thus, Dwarves have a deep hatred for Dakkar.

While the exact origins of the Dwarven race are unknown, they have lived underground for centuries untold. Underground, the Dwarves had large kingdoms and strongholds; however, most of these kingdoms were burned or sealed away due to the subsequent war between the Dakkar. The treasures within are still sought by adventurer’s today.

Most Dwarves follow the dogma of the god Moridon. Some Dwarven folk tales tell of all Dwarves being descendants of Moridon, who was in fact a mortal. Others say Moridon was a god, a deity. Since earliest recollection, Dwarves have followed the dogma of Moridon: to pursue justice, to defend one’s kin, and to create works of art; to Dwarves, that would be powerful suits of armor and weapons. Those that worship Moridon most heavily are smiths and Dwarven fighters. Above all else, the dogma of Moridon teaches the simple phrase “Dwarf for a Dwarf”. In detail, it signifies the deep loyalty Dwarves have with each another. If pressed, a Dwarf would give his life for his kin. That Dwarf would die with a song on his lips, knowing he did what his kin would do if they had the chance. While not suicidal, Dwarves will fight furiously, almost to the point of blind rage.

Dwarves are commonly referred to as “the stout folk” for good reason. Most stand at 4’3″ – 4’9″ at maturity. They can weigh anywhere from 150 to 250 pounds, depending on the dwarf and their love for food. Most, if not all, Dwarves possess fair strength and compared to other races, are incredibly hardy. Dwarves can take a beating that would kill a human, and get up to spit in the eye of whatever brought it upon them! Their beards can reach down to their toes, and come in many colors. Brown, black, and red are common among Dwarves. A common dwarf is one that is battle-clad: dwarves are a very practical race, and are thus rarely seen in anything but chain or plate mail.

When thinking of a Dwarf, most imagine a chain-clad Dwarven fighter, with an axe in one hand and a shield in the other. In combat, Dwarves have simple rules: “The ax cuts the tendons at the back of the knee; the battlehammar breaks the kneecap from the front”. Most dwarves will compliment their ax or hammer with a small shield. However, dwarven beserkers will prefer to dual wield two axes, or two warhammars. Dwarves brought the zeppelin and the cannon with them when they moved to the surface, both of which they use extensively in combat and otherwise.

The stout folk have a strong dialect, replacing most common words like “you” with “ye”. Dwarves can be a tad blustering when angry, as such most enjoy creating new insults to hurl at an enemy. “Orc-brained pile of ogre dung” is an oft used phrase. Dwarves are usually divided into clans, but all Dwarves share a mutual brotherhood with each other. There are exceptions of course, but most Dwarves are part of a distinct group, with a singular dwarf leading it. Unlike humans, their leaders are not clad in gold and luxury. A Dwarven king is a practical one that leads by example and thus looks like any other dwarf, other than his exceptional weapons and obvious skill. Most Dwarves wear simple tunics underneath there armor, which they wear at almost all times.

The social structure in Dwarven society is peculiar. There are no clear rulers in the society. There are commanders and veterans in combat who take the lead, but each dwarf respects and cares for their kin, heeding there advice as well as they would there kings. Loyalty is more than a word, it is a way of life for Dwarves. They would take pleasure in rescuing the lowest dwarf, for saving an ally means much to them. For this reason, Dwarves make exceedingly good allies. Dwarves are also often given to revenge on an enemy. Sometimes, a Dwarf may wait for decades to exact revenge on an enemy, for Dwarves are patient. Women in Dwarven society are respected as much as males. Often, in battle Dwarf women fight alongside their male counterparts with no distinction. And indeed, if the females have a beard, the distinction is doubly hard to make. For female Dwarves sound exceedingly similar to males.

Dwarves, as commonly noted, are greatly skilled in forging weapons and armor. Dwarves are known to have an everlasting patience. For example, a dwarf would take an hour to add a single scale to a suit of armor and should he make the smallest error, he would scrap the project and start anew. Dwarves take pride in all that they forge, and thus they forge little that is not exceptional. Dwarves have been known to pray to their god, Moridon, for aid in the creation of magical weapons. Whether their god answers their calls or whether it is wizardly magic at work is left to scholars’ musings. Either way, Dwarven made items are in high demand everywhere.

The history of the Dwarven race is a sad one. Existing for centuries untold underground, they did not participate in the Void War. Instead, the Dwarves shut their gates to the evil, not wishing to kill themselves for the sake of strangers. During the time they were shut in, the Dwarves began digging deeper and deeper. Then, all at once it seemed, the Dwarves were in a full out war with the Dakkar, a race of fire-like humanoids. The Dwarves had many magical weapons, but few could work on such beings in their territories. After a long, drawn out war, the Dwarves began to retreat to the surface. Nearly half of the Dwarven race had been killed in the wars.

Moving to the surface as recently as 50 years ago, the Dwarves have split into many clans, some venturing into human settlements on their own. The vast majority of Dwarves live in refugee camps, but more and more are integrating into the society of the other races. To this day, Dwarves find good work as smithies but as noted, vengeance can take hold on them. A Dwarf would cut down a Dakkar without a thought should they come across one on the surface. Let it be known that the Dwarven populace is starting to rise again.